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FACTS & STATS: Site: Aggie Memorial Stadium (30,403) -- La Cruces, New Mexico. Television: Aggievision, Altitude. Home Record: UTEP 1-0, NMSU 0-1, Away Record: UTEP 0-1, NMSU 1-0, Neutral Record: UTEP 0-0, NMSU 0-0,Conference Record: UTEP 0-1, NMSU 0-0, Series Record: Texas El-Paso leads, 51-35-2

GAME NOTES: The Miners of Texas El-Paso head to La Cruces to battle for the Silver Spade and Brass Spittoon trophies in this year's Battle of the I-10 against the New Mexico State Aggies. In 2010, UTEP dominated their out-of- state rivals in a 42-10 final. UTEP is 5-2 in the rivalry since Mike Price took over as head coach.

Freshman quarterback Jay Hall is expected to make his first career start for UTEP in this clash, after showing promise in place of injured starter Nick Lamaison in last week's 28-17 loss to SMU. Hall completed 8-of-20 passes for 130 yards in the second half. He was efficient on third downs, completing 4- of-6 attempts for three first downs. However, Hall made a rookie mistake as he threw a costly interception in the fourth quarter which led to an SMU touchdown that would put the game out of reach.

Senior Donavon Kemp has bounced back from his injury-plagued 2010 campaign with a great start to this new year. Kemp has racked up 206 receiving yards on ten catches in the first two contests. The Miners have struggled to get their running game going, averaging less than 40 yards per game and their 1.3 yards per carry average is third-worst in the nation. To compensate for their rushing woes, UTEP's aerial attack is off to a hot start as their 320.5 passing yards per game ranks 20th in the country. Vernon Frazier is an elite kick returner, already logging returns of 50 and 43 yards this season.

The UTEP defense is led by standout cornerback TraVaun Nixon, who has registered a team-leading 15.5 tackles and two interceptions through the first two contests. The defense struggled to slow down SMU's offensive attack last week, giving up 390 total yards. The Miners have performed terribly in the first quarter of games this season, yielding 21 points. The have gotten stronger as the game wears on thought, yielding a mere 10 in the second, seven in the third and zero points in the fourth quarter.

The Miners have surrendered 366 yards in the opening quarter, 191 in the second, 126 in the third and 117 in the fourth. DeShawn Grayson and Isaiah Carter forced fumbles, and along with a Nixon pick gave the UTEP defense a total of three takeaways against conference rival SMU. This year the Miners have kept their opponents under 30 points in both games -- the first time under Price they've been able to do that in their first two contests of a season.

New Mexico State quarterback Andrew Manley was named the WAC Offensive Player of the Week after throwing for 288 yards and three touchdowns in the Aggie' victory over Minnesota last weekend. Manley currently ranks first in the league in passing, second in pass efficiency (148.8) and second in total offense (313.0). His total offense mark also ranks him 17th in the nation.

Running back Robert Clay bounced back from his opening-day struggles by rushing for 97 yards on 20 carries and scored the game-winning touchdown against Minnesota. Manley's favorite targets have been Todd Lee and Taveon Rogers, as they have caught nine passes each for a combined 371 yards.

Defensive back Jonte Green led the Aggies with ten solo tackles and a forced fumble in the victory over Minnesota, earning WAC Defensive Player of the Week honors. New Mexico State gave up 419 yards to the Golden Gophers, but made big plays when it mattered only allowing Minnesota to convert 2-of-12 third-down opportunities.

Safety Donyae Coleman has been extremely productive for the Aggies thus far, registering a team-high 14 tackles in the season opener versus Ohio University, adding his first career interception and fumble recovery. He did however, settle down in the win over Minnesota but could be a pain in the side of the UTEP offense on Saturday. The team's other safety, Ben Bradley, had an outstanding performance versus the Gophers, tallying 13 tackles with an interception.

With uncertainty surrounding the quarterback position for the Miners, the Aggies stand a much better chance than they did in last year's blowout loss. UTEP will rely more heavily this week on its defense and needs to keep the New Mexico State offense off the field as much as possible. Manley threw all three of his touchdown passes in the first half last week and will look to pick apart the slow starting Miner defense. UTEP will need to produce on the ground to take pressure off the passing game if it wants to win this year's Battle of the I-10 yet again.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Texas El-Paso 27, New Mexico State 28